Chapter 1

Shane and I had been married for three years, and during that time, he treated me like royalty.

Everyone around us said he was madly in love with me.

Until Lexi returned to the States.

He brought a pregnant Lexi right in front of me and said, "Paige, let's get a divorce. I want a real, complete family."

Six months later, medical tests revealed Shane was sterile. He got completely wasted and called me, weeping, "I regret everything."

I sneered into the phone, "Mr. Bennett, I want a complete family, too."

1

On my birthday, Shane gave me a six-figure diamond necklace and threw a massive party with a bunch of our friends.

Someone whistled in admiration, "Bro, that diamond necklace on your wife's neck must've cost six figures! You really spare no expense on her."

Shane took a sip of red wine and gave me an affectionate look. "Only the best for the woman I love."

The VIP lounge erupted into cheers and catcalls.

A smile touched my lips, but I noticed Shane seemed distracted.

His gaze kept darting to his vibrating phone on the table.

When the waiter brought over a glass of warm milk, Shane absentmindedly slid it in front of me.

I froze. Shane knew perfectly well that I was severely lactose intolerant.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head, picked up the glass, and took a small sip. The milky taste immediately made my stomach churn with nausea.

Shane stepped outside to take a phone call. When he returned, his expression was tense and anxious.

"Paige, an urgent issue popped up at the office. I have to head out first."

"Shane, man, it's your wife's birthday! Why leave so early? You don't have another pretty girl waiting for you outside, do you?" a friend joked.

Shane shot the guy a stern glare, then leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Be good. Wait for me at home."

He rushed out in such a hurry that he even left his jacket behind.

"What the hell is wrong with your mouth? You know how good Shane and Paige are together," someone scolded the guy who made the joke.

"Hey, I was just teasing! Paige is generous enough not to take it to heart, right, Paige?"

I glanced at him, but the overwhelming nausea forced me to bolt toward the restroom.

Near the sinks, two women were washing their hands and gossiping.

"Did you hear? Lexi is back in the country."

"Wait, didn't she run off overseas with that trust-fund billionaire?"

"She got dumped. Back then, when she dumped Shane, he stood outside her dorm in the pouring rain for three days, but she didn't even look back. Now that she's discarded, she remembers her successful ex. I heard Shane even went to the airport to pick her up the day she landed."

"Seriously? But Shane is married now! That necklace he gave his wife tonight wasn't cheap at all."

"Don't you know? Lexi posted a seven-figure designer diamond bracelet on Instagram two days ago. That necklace his wife is wearing was just the complimentary gift with the purchase."

It felt as if an entire bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

I suddenly understood why Shane looked so unnatural when he handed me that necklace.

Shane had an ex-girlfriend who abandoned him when he was broke right after college to chase a wealthy heir abroad. Her name was Lexi.

I never gave it much thought, except once when I found an old phone of his filled with photos of the same woman.

He explained to me that keeping those photos was only to remind himself of his naive, foolish past.

I believed him, especially when he threw that phone into a street trash can right before my eyes.

I genuinely thought Lexi was a closed chapter in our lives.

Until one late night after our wedding.

I caught Shane sitting on the balcony in the pitch-black darkness, smoking a cigarette with a glowing red tip.

He was clutching that very same phone that was supposed to be long gone, scrolling through photos of that woman over and over again.

That was the moment I realized he had never moved on.